30 kisses
by melodymega
Summary: Thirty things a kiss can mean. Roy/Ed.
1. 1

_"I can't let you come with me."_

He had expected a fight about that. They fought about everything else, after all. Of all the times for Ed to understand what he was saying between his words, he was glad it had happened now.

Instead of protesting, Edward had simply nodded, and Mustang realized with a pang that the boy he had spent years waiting to grow up finally had, and it was already too late.

The kiss was hard and fast: a rough press of lips that hinted at many things but in the end only really said one: goodbye.


	2. 2

"Are you going to give me funding for this or not?" Fullmetal was already shooting him a death glare as he stomped impatiently up to Mustang's desk, ignoring the fact that the Fuhrer was obviously busy.

Nevertheless, the man calmly put down his pen. "As I recall, the last mission I approved funding for was hardly a rousing success."

"Since when has _that_ mattered?"

"Since it almost got you killed," Mustang scowled.

Edward's irritated glower transformed into consideration. "I'll be careful."

When Mustang snorted, Ed leaned across the desk and kissed him gently, as much promise as he could make.


	3. 3

One thing he had to admit about this …thing that they kept doing: it was never the same way twice. Hard and frenzied, hands ripping the cloth to tatters, or slow and teasing, and that look in Mustang's eyes. Ed still wasn't sure if it was rage or something else he saw in those moments, and he knew better than to ask.

There was a reason they never spoke.

Even when they lay together, sweaty and panting, their bodies still connected, Ed could feel the other man's grief, as terrible and engulfing as his own.


	4. 4

When Edward woke up and saw who was sitting beside the bed he groaned aloud. "I told Hughes not to call you."

"He didn't," Roy barked. "Armstrong thought I might be interested in knowing that your latest escapade had landed you in the hospital with a broken leg." He wasn't shouting, but the suppressed fury in his voice was enough to make Ed flinch.

"I didn't want you to worry," he began. "I thought you'd try to stop me."

Roy lifted his undamaged hand up and pressed a surprisingly gentle kiss on its palm. "What do you take me for?"


	5. 5

Most things were exactly the same, and sometimes it was hard to remember he had been gone for two years. Al was whole now, and Ed tried to convince himself that it was all that mattered. That he didn't mind bearing the burden of their memories alone.

He spent a lot of time in Central, eager to lose himself in crowds. Every night he made his way to the one place he was always welcome, and Mustang's eyes were as haunted as his own. Eye, now. It felt right to pool their loneliness, desperate kisses trying to fill the void.


	6. 6

Ed kicked off his boots in the hallway, smirking as they clattered loudly against the wall. He pulled the door shut with a barely muffled thud, shedding clothes as he stomped his way across the room.

The dark shape in bed never moved.

He yanked the blankets back, sliding between freezing sheets and turning resolutely to glare at the wall.

"I take it you're upset," the familiar voice drawled.

"You were _flirting _again!"

It was always the same. Ed waited for hesitant fingers to slide down his shoulder, followed by a warm mouth. Roy's apologies were always the same, too.


	7. 7

Ed perched on the corner of the Colonel's desk, swinging his legs impatiently. Sometimes he would swear the man liked making him wait.

Finally the last form was signed, the last document tucked securely away. Ed didn't turn as he heard the squeak of a chair being pushed back.

"Took you long enough," he commented as Roy came to stand between his parted thighs. Ed tipped his head back for the familiar touch of lips, unsurprised when the kiss deepened until they broke apart, gasping. He _had_ been away for weeks. Much too long for Roy's need, and his own.


	8. 8

After two years, Ed expected some things to be different. Most things, actually. But Mustang… he never expected Mustang to change. To him, Roy loomed so large that nothing could touch him.

He traced his fingers along the eye patch gingerly, wondering exactly how much was different in the mind behind it. Roy scrutinized his expression as he pulled the entire thing off, no doubt waiting for Ed's disgust to show.

Ed had seen worse. Meeting the intent look in the good eye, he leaned forward and kissed a light path across the knotted tissue. When Roy blinked, Ed smiled.


	9. 9

He was out of bed before five every day. The habit of military discipline kept him an early riser, even when there was nothing to get up for. The warm body splayed across the bed muttered shifted, sheets slipping down to give an excellent view of _exactly_ what he was missing. There was nothing he'd rather do than spend the morning making Ed scream. Even so, he'd get up and slip into the shower, enjoying the brief illusion that he could still control any of his impulses around Edward. Even if it meant he always had to take _cold_ showers.


	10. 10 & 11

10.

Mustang didn't like men. Ed knew that; had always known that. He often wondered who it was, then, that Roy thought about when they had sex. It had to be a woman, and one with long hair, since Roy would always gently untangle his braid and run his fingers through it. Then he would kiss Ed slowly, his eyes tightly closed.

The sex itself was rushed, frantic. Afterward Mustang was always up and out the door as fast as he could go. Ed was left to lie there alone, staring up at the ceiling and smelling them all over himself.

11.

Mustang didn't like men, as a rule. In fact, he'd only ever been attracted to one. He never would have put himself in the position of being used for sex otherwise.

He'd bury his fingers in Ed's hair, trying to hold him there with Roy, to touch some part of him that wasn't about sex. He would close his eyes and kiss Ed, willing to pretend that Ed was kissing him, too. In the end it didn't change anything; he knew that. He always left quickly as soon as it was done, not wanting to prolong things. Ed never objected.


	11. 12

The third time he had to go upstairs to find out what Roy wanted, Ed folded his arms and glared from the doorway. "If you don't stop ringing that bell I'm going to transmute it into a paperweight," he threatened.

"That figures," Roy sniffed. "I should've known I wouldn't get any sympathy from you."

"You have a _cold_, idiot. You'll live." Ed sat on the bed, carding a hand through damp black hair.

"No thanks to you." Roy's tone was mutinous, but his eyes closed at the touch.

He was nearly asleep when Ed kissed him gently on the forehead.


	12. 13

The dream tended to start out differently, but the ending never varied. Sometimes he was fighting Bradley again, only this time Bradley was telling him something vitally important, and he always, always killed him before he understood what it was. Sometimes Hughes would appear, and he was the one shouting instructions that Roy could never manage to catch. Then _he_ was there, reaching to catch Roy's hand, pulling him close. He'd hold tight to the smaller frame, kissing him reluctantly, already feeling him start to disintegrate in his arms. Knowing there was nothing he could ever do to change it.


	13. 14

Ed had never been a morning person. He fought to stay asleep, and anyone who dared to wake him before he was ready had to face his wrath full-force.

There was nothing Roy liked better than solving problems. Even first thing in the morning.

He'd being by alternating hot and cold breath along Ed's thighs, following with the lightest touch. Flicking his tongue over waking flesh, his fingers would ply Ed, creating waves of pleasure that Ed rode, gasping, until he'd pull Roy up for a hard kiss, their bodies moving together with ease.

Ed began looking forward to mornings.


	14. 15

"I don't believe it." Clara's tone was clipped.

Edith sighed, glancing down the row of typing women. "She just sounded so _sure_."

"It's obviously not true. Remember when everyone said he'd gotten that Corporal pregnant?" Clara snorted, her fingers flying across the keys.

Edith nodded, cringing.

"This will be just like that."

"They _are_ always together," Edith pointed out. "He stays at the Colonel's house."

Clara pursed her lips. "What did she say she saw?"

"She said they were kissing."

Clara burst out laughing. "You _know_ that's not true."

Edith shrugged. "She said they looked like they were enjoying it."


	15. 16

Ed eased the door shut, stepping carefully inside. The house was dark and silent, exactly what he had been counting on. He tugged his boots off, creeping forward in stocking feet. He was about to throw his coat over the back of the chair when the chair spoke.

"You're late."

Ed dropped his coat on the floor instead. "Things got complicated."

"You were supposed to call if you had any problems." Roy's voice was edged with more than irritation.

Ed tried to control his temper. "I don't need a babysitter."

His only answer was a unexpectedly tender kiss. "Don't you?"


	16. 17

The first time, it surprised him that Ed was hesitant about taking off his clothes. It was only when he drew his finger along the scar between flesh and automail that he understood the combined shame and defiance in Ed's glare.

The second time, he turned his attention to the cool metal, feeling the vibration of gears move as Ed shifted slightly. He placed a small kiss on the knuckles, another on the heavy palm.

The third time, he pulled Ed tight against him, ignoring the bite of steel. He knew it wasn't enough, but it was better than nothing.


	17. 18

Ed drummed his fingers on the bar, ignoring the glower he was getting from the bartender. "How long do we have to stay here?"

A corner of Roy's mouth turned up. "This is supposed to be a date, Fullmetal. Amazingly enough, some people even do this for fun."

The look of contempt Ed gave him made him laugh. "Who asked for a _date_? I just want to go back to your place and go to bed."

"I thought you might like something different."

Ed's snort was his only warning before he was pulled into a hard kiss. "Different is overrated."


	18. 19

It took Ed years to track Mustang down. His name wasn't Mustang on this side of the gate, but there was no mistaking who he was. His hair was shorter, the uniform was missing, but the smile was the same. So was the voice.

He was constantly surrounded by a respectful circle of young men – his students, who hung on every word he uttered. Ed didn't doubt he had a plan to be running the entire university soon.

Ed never meant to get close to him. He blamed it on that smoky voice. When Ed heard it, he was home.


	19. 19 part II

**A/N: For spider wench, who is not so much a fan of the incredibly vaguely implied kiss. **

The classes were large seminars, and Ed found he could sit at the back and be ignored. He let the discussion of rhenium wash over him, straining only to pick up the familiar cadence. He should've realized it wouldn't be enough for long.

At first it was coffee, a professor willing to go over more complicated material with a bright scholar. By dinner he must've known Ed wasn't a student.

Mustang would always hold him in place when they kissed, not grasping but unyielding, not letting him go. In this strange world, that was what Ed wanted most of all.


	20. 20

They weren't speaking at all when they boarded the train. They sat next to each other, anger apparent in their identical postures and crossed arms. Identical scowls were enough to send Al scurrying for a seat at the other end of the car. Their fights were legendary, and Al was a little worried about having to explain any damage to the train.

When Ed fell asleep Roy relented slightly, draping his jacket across the younger man and briefly touching his lips to blond hair. Once Ed awoke, the jacket was gone, as if it had never been there at all.


	21. 21

The doctor was looking Ed over dubiously. "I would advise you to stay. You're not completely healed -"

"I'm fine," Ed interrupted. He tried to pull on his shirt and nearly fell over.

The doctor glanced helplessly at General Mustang for help. "In a few days, perhaps..."

"I'm fine _now_."

The doctor didn't throw up his hands when he left the room, but he certainly wanted to.

Roy stepped forward to help Ed get dressed. "You're coming to stay with me." He pressed his mouth against Ed's before Ed could argue. It was the best way he knew to win.


	22. 22

To no one's surprise, Edward was not a particularly cooperative house guest. Even when injured. He lay down only after Mustang had threatened to burn the soles of his feet so badly he wouldn't walk for a month.

"Why'd you want me to stay here, anyway?"

"You and Al usually stay in the dorms when you're in Central."

"So?"

"There are _stairs_, Fullmetal. Unless you don't mind having Al carry you up and down them."

Ed was silent, considering. "That's the only reason?"

Roy smirked, leaning forward so their lips were barely touching. "What other reason could I possibly have?"


	23. 23

"You're resigning?"

"I only became a State Alchemist to find the Stone. Al's got his body back now. I don't need this anymore." The pocket watch clattered on the desk.

"What about your arm and leg?"

A brief flash of regret crossed Ed's face, but he only shrugged. "It's asking for too much. We thought we could beat equivalent exchange if we used the Stone, but in the end we never could. Al's back. That's what matters."

Roy stood very still for a moment before nodding. Before Ed could turn to go, cool lips touched his cheek. "Good luck, Edward."


	24. 24

Ed was too old to make wishes on birthday candles, but Elicia insisted. After wanting one thing for so long, it was hard for him to think of something else to wish for.

He glanced around the table until his eyes met warm dark ones. Mustang was out of uniform for this joint birthday party, and as much as Ed hated to admit it, he looked… good. Just like that, he made his wish.

It took a year, until Ed simply marched into his office and kissed the man himself. Sometimes you had to take fate into your own hands.


	25. 25

Ed knew he was in trouble as soon as he saw the blue uniforms descending upon him.

"Mr. Elric! The Fuhrer requests that you come with us immediately!"

Ed toyed briefly with the idea of telling them exactly where to shove their 'request,' but knew that in the end it wasn't worth the trouble. "Let's get this over with."

Roy was pacing his office when they brought Ed in. He was rarely so openly agitated. Most people would apologize, but Ed fisted one hand in black hair, pulling Mustang down for a soft kiss instead. They had their own language.


	26. 26

"I can't believe you made me dress up for this."

Mustang put down his drink and watched Ed study the crowd in the hall. "There is a dress code, Fullmetal."

"It's not like I'm getting an award. Neither are you."

Roy shrugged. "Senior officers are expected at these ceremonies."

"I'm not a senior officer," Ed grumbled, tugging on his tie. Realization took longer than Roy had expected. "Am I your date?"

"I could've done worse."

Ed gaped at him for a full minute. "That's very open of you."

"I thought it was time." He pressed his lips to Ed's temple.


	27. 27

"Ow! What the hell was that?" Ed tried to twist around to see what was happening, but an iron grip held him in place.

"I told you to stay still." Roy's mouth was next to his ear.

"I told _you_ to be careful. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

The words were forced through Roy's clenched jaw. "Unlike some people, I have done this before."

"Wouldn't have guessed it," Ed muttered, his body slowly relaxing.

Roy pressed his lips to the nape of Ed's neck, feeling the heat of Ed's skin.

"You can be on top next time."


	28. 28

"You could come with me, you know." Ed leaned against his desk.

Roy kept reading the report. Avoiding eye contact was key to not giving in. "It's not that I don't want to."

Ed's tone became petulant. "You're the Fuhrer. You can do whatever you want."

He was sorely tempted. But – "I _cannot_ do whatever I want."

"Winry and Al want you there." Ed leaned forward and trailed a line of light kisses across his cheek. "I want you there, too."

_That _was new and obviously cheating, as far as Roy was concerned. Not that he was going to complain.


	29. 29

Roy's favourite time of day was the early morning, the only time when Ed was too sleep-befuddled to argue with him. To_ fight_ with him. It was the only time that Roy felt he could say any, or all, of the things he normally held back. Not that he ever would – neither he nor Ed were exactly prone to overshare – but knowing he could was enough.

Instead, he would push the tangled sheets out of the way and explore the body before him with his mouth. Gently, reverently.

He supposed that in the end he was telling Ed, after all.


	30. 30

**A/N: Longer than 100 words, obviously, but since it's the last one it seemed appropriate. I'm about halfway done with a longer version of the Ed meets Other Roy from beyond the gate (#19) drabble, so I suppose in the next few months I'll probably be writing lots and lots of longer fic based on these. Thank you very much everyone who has enjoyed them!**

"What the hell is this?" Ed thrust the paper in front of Mustang, knocking everything else that had been on the desk onto the floor.

Roy sighed, adjusted his glasses and peered at the handwritten pages. "That's my account of the second practice campaign," he said dismissively, reaching to pick up the report he had been working on.

"But _I'm _in there!" Ed jabbed viciously at his name.

"You _were_ there," Roy reminded him, his patience beginning to thin.

"Not officially! It was for military personnel only, and I'd already resigned. You had to hide me in your tent."

"I remember," Mustang said with a smirk.

"So why the hell is this even in there? 'Ed was waiting for me after the second drill, offering encouragement even when things seemed impossible. Without him, I likely would have stopped the entire exercise then.' You don't have to say that."

Roy took the pages from Ed and smoothed out the creases. "I _do_ have to. The people of this country expect a memoir now that I've retired, and I think they deserve one that's honest, for once. It's about time they realized how much they owe you."

"That's stupid," Ed muttered, but his cheeks were beginning to turn pink. "They don't owe me anything. I was only thinking of you, anyway."

Mustang's smirk returned. "I'll be sure to mention that."

Ed shifted his weight from foot to foot, considering. "You're really going to write all that… about us?"

"Would it bother you?" Roy looked at him seriously.

Ed shook his head. "No, you know that. It's always bothered you more than me." He tried to choose his words carefully. "It might make them think of you differently."

Roy shrugged dramatically. "My career is over. The memoir is the last piece of it. I don't really care how they think of me." Both of them knew that that wasn't entirely true, but it was true enough.

Ed leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his favourite retired General's forehead. "I'll leave you to it, then. Just try not to make me look like too much of an love sick idiot, all right?"

Roy grinned. "I'll see what I can do." He was already back at work when Ed shut the study door behind himself.


End file.
